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Issue 6 2012


Cost-cutting may lead to surge in forkliſt accidents


Briggs Equipment has urged fleet managers not to lose sight of health and safety despite the tough economic environment, following a Health and Safety Executive report of an industry-wide increase in serious forkliſt truck accidents. Latest figures from the HSE showed a 4% increase in serious


accidents, the first rise in two years, which Briggs believes may be due to some businesses cutting corners to reduce costs. The company highlighted


the importance of training and ensuring that all operators are fully trained to use equipment, including temporary workers. It


was also important to be aware that some employees may not be fluent in English and ensure they are fully aware of UK H&S procedures. There should also be an anonymous, easy-to-report system to help workers speak up about any accidents or hazards they may find in the workplace.


Racks to revolutionise car shipping


APL Logistics says that it has revolutionised the shipment of cars in containers with its AutoDirect racks. Racks can be configured to fit


up to six cars in one container compared with typically only two in


conventional fixed-rack


container equipment. The racks are removable, collapsible and returnable and are also certified by independent quality auditors. APL Logistics’ automotive


team also provides customised container load design plans,


carrier management, shipment booking, supervised container loading at a factory or hub, customs clearance and intermodal shipping supervision. Rinaldy Sudyatmiko, APL


Logistics’ director of business development for auto logistics for Asia/Europe, said the solution was targeted at small to medium shipments by original equipment manufacturers (OEM), importers or distributors. Ro ro shipping, in contrast, requires large volumes and has


more restrictive schedules than containers. Packing more vehicles per container also means using fewer containers and truck trips, reducing carbon emissions. APL Logistics has completed a


pilot shipment using AutoDirect. The shipment of seven 40-foot high cube containers and one 40-foot container carried 28 cars in total from Yantai, China via Dalian and transshipment port Kaohsiung, Taiwan before arriving at Laem Chabang, Thailand.


New straddles for Liverpool


The Port of Liverpool is buying six new straddle carriers, bringing its total fleet to 40. The port has invested in one


Liebherr and


five Terex (Noell) diesel-electric straddle carriers. Liebherr is a new supplier to the following a successful trial.


port,


The equipment has been fitted with the terminal’s Navis/ITS GPRS operating platform and is


fully


integrated with the existing fleet. Peel Ports-Mersey’s engineering


manager Brad Crumbleholme said: “The investment in the straddle carrier fleet comes against a backdrop of substantial asset replacements and upgrades at the port, and in addition to the £300m investment in our planned deep water container


terminal, Liverpool 2, which will be operational in 2015. Both straddle carrier models are able to stack three containers in height (1 over 2), with the Liebherr straddle carrier providing extendible twin-liſt


spreader capability.” He added that the port has


worked closely with designers in Germany to enhance the standard design of the carriers to maximise safety and improve maintainability.


New Penny


Penny Hydraulics has upgraded its folding step tail liſt to allow maximum working loads of 500kg. The device provides continuous full access to van


rear doors and load compartment and is particularly


suitable for operators with a diversity of loads who want to add handling capability without compromising the general utility of their vehicles. The


existing model had a 250kg maximum working load. Flexible solution for urban deliveries


Italian-owned international freight forwarder Arcese has taken delivery of two special specification Cartwright urban curtainsider trailers for its urban deliveries, particularly in London. The trailer manufacturer commented that new Euro 6 standards had made rigid trucks more expensive and one solution was to use visiting tractor units, which would otherwise be standing idle, for local delivery work.


Briggs takes on Barloworld


Materials handling firm Briggs Equipment UK has acquired the assets of Barloworld Handling U’sK assets. Briggs is now the exclusive UK dealer for Hyster products and takes responsibility for sales and service of both the Hyster and Yale brand of lift trucks in the UK. Briggs’ chief executive officer


Richard Close, said the move would bring “more opportunities for our employees and an enhanced service to our customers, with greater product solutions and quicker response times.” Barloworld Supply Chain


Soſtware (Barloworld SCS) however remains completely independent of the handling


business and remains part of the Barloworld Group, whose CEO Richard Forrest,adds: “We are currently enjoying the success of our leading soſtware solutions and recent expansion into France and our customer base continues to grow. We also have new product developments on the horizon.”


///EQUIPMENT CORNER Mersey Docks keeps track with G-POS


Mersey Docks and Harbour Company has extended the use of ITS’s GPS-based real time location system, G-POS to include five new straddle carriers at its Royal Seaforth Container Terminal. ITS closely co-operated with straddle carrier


manufacturer, Terex-Noell Mobile Systems, to ensure that G-POS would be delivered at the same time as the


straddle carriers. G-POS is embedded unobtrusively into the


container terminals’ container handling equipment and automatically keeps track of every piece of mobile equipment on site and automatically monitors the storage and retrieval locations for every container handled on the terminal.


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